1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sailboat booms and more particularly, to a device that attaches the sheet, the line that trims the sail, to the boom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sailors attach the sheet to the boom usually by some fitting fastened to the bottom of the boom or by a bail which extends under the boom and up each side where it is thru bolted to the boom on the boom""s center line. The load and its angle that the sheet exerts on the boom varies to extremes and these loads are often shock loads. If the sheet is attached to the bottom of the boom, it transmits a torsional load to the boom which is very hard on the gooseneck. The bail solves this problem by transmitting the load to the center line of the boom. A bail is typically a stainless steel rod, its ends flattened and fitted with holes for the mounting bolt and bent into a xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shape to fit the boom. The sheet or sheeting block is attached to the bail with a stainless steel shackle which slides on the bail seeking the angle that the sheet makes with the boom. Under heavy loads, the sliding is not smooth and much wear takes place. The invention solves this problem.
The invention provides a means of attaching the boom of a sailboat to its sheet, the line that trims the boom, so that as the loads and angles between the boom and the sheet change, the attachment will smoothly adjust with minimum wear and transmit the load to the center line of the boom to minimize torsional loads on the boom""s gooseneck.
The device consists of a xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped bail with a hole in each end so that it can be thru bolted to the boom on the boom""s center line. A shackle with a roller on its clevis pin is fastened onto the bail so that the roller acts as an interface between the shackle and the bail. When the sheet is attached to the shackle, its load is transmitted to the boom through the roller and bail so that changes in the angle and magnitude of the load are smoothly transferred to the center line of the boom.
It is the object of the invention to provide an inexpensive, easily installed device that provides a low friction, non torquing connection between a sailboat boom and its sheet.